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2008
The year 2008 (MMVIII) was the twenty-seventh year of the A Real American Hero brand. Overview The year 2008 saw the continuation of the 25th Anniversary line - what was originally meant to be a limited one-year series was now a verified success. But since the actual anniversary year was over, fans were left to come up with new terminology. As the now-retired Sigma 6 toys disappeared from the shelves, stores made various decisions about the new 4" line. Some locations devoted decent portions of aisles to the Joes, on a par with the now-struggling Transformers and always-popular Star Wars sections, while others did not stock the toys at all. Many retailers gave the figures a column next to cheaper The Corps! figures. Despite the inconsistency, finding figures was easier than during the 2007 Christmas season as the rate of new releases slowed to a manageable pace. Fans mostly raved about the new designs for characters getting their first shot at a Generation 3 mold. Complaints primarily had to do with the sheer number of figures (hard on the pocketbook, but no worse than 2002-2005) and with the frequent reissues of Duke, Snake-Eyes, Cobra Commander, and Storm Shadow, already the most common figures (again, not a new problem). In any case, the G3 figures had come to dominate Joe discussion, and both old- and new-school collectors gravitated toward this line. Generation 3 saw its first vehicles released, first as the Target-exclusive "Attack on Cobra Island" series, followed by wide releases. The Comic Packs returned and received attention for their Doc mail-away promotion, which would begin shipping in May. Meanwhile, the summer convention, scheduled this year for June 27-29, would continue to feature old-sculpt repaints. Devil's Due Publishing's license to produce G.I. Joe comics expired this year, and they brought a spectacular end to the A Real American Hero comics continuity begun in 1982 with the well-received "World War III" storyline. Toys Carded Figures Toys "Я" Us exclusives DVD Battles The DVD Battles sets included figures based on the Sunbow series, a five-episode DVD and a piece to build the M.A.S.S. device. Extreme Conditions Comic Packs Equipment *Armadillo w/ Steeler *A.W.E. Striker w/ Leatherneck *R.A.M. w/ Cpl. Breaker *V.A.M.P. w/Double Clutch : *Air Chariot w/ Serpentor *C.L.A.W. w/ Viper *F.A.N.G. w/ Cobra Pilot *Firebat w/ A.V.A.C. *H.I.S.S. w/ H.I.S.S. Driver Commander *Trubble Bubble w/ Tele-Viper Target exclusives Attack on Cobra Island: The first G3 vehicles were exclusive to Target stores, and all shared the "Attack on Cobra Island" branding. *A.W.E. Striker w/ Crankcase *Conquest X-30 w/ Lt. Slip Stream *Night Specter w/ Grand Slam : *H.I.S.S. w/ Cobra Driver *Rattler w/ Wild Weasel Ultimate Battle Pack: The most expensive set of the year, this set included quite a few Joes and Cobras, plus vehicles for both sides. *Short-Fuze *Sgt. Stalker *Steeler *M.O.B.A.T. : *Cobra Commander *Cobra Vehicle Gunner *Destro *H.I.S.S. Driver *H.I.S.S. (red) *Trubble Bubble (blue) Collector's Club Exclusives *Cobra Commander : Direct-to-Consumer - Series 4 *Airtight *Cobra Officer *Munitia *Night-Viper *Outback : Convention Exclusives *Civilian Cobra Commander *Sky B.A.T. *'S.W.A.T. three-pack' **Long Arm **Low-Light **Shockblast *'Cobra Headhunters' **Gristle **Headhunter B.A.T.s (x6) **Headhunter Guards (x2) **Headhunter Stormtroopers (x6) **Headhunter Driver **S.W.A.T. R.T.V. w/ Bullhorn **Hotwire's Mech w/ Hotwire Mailaway offers *'Operation: Rescue Doc' :Included with G3 Comic Packs. Cobra Commander sent a note boasting that he'd brainwashed Doc, the key to success of his newest evil plan. ::Figures Available: Doc. Comicbooks Write up. :See detailed information here. Animation No animation was produced this year. Category:Lists Category:Generation 3 Category:Comic Packs